Eggs, steak and noodles
by Miki-chan13
Summary: This was supposed Tanya's time for a break, to relax.. not get caught up in the shenanigans of the plot of an anime's OVA. Based on the Attack on Titan OVA "An Unexpected Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence." For Acerman.


For Acerman- sorry for the wait! Consider this one-shot part of Of Gods and Titans canon proper.

* * *

Tanya swung through the air, boots landing against the tiles of the house. She winced at the impact, nearly sliding off the slanted surface. All right, definitely different from swinging between the trees. From not having to constantly aim above her gaze and not having the sun be blocked by trees or the surrounding mountains to the vantage points and new terrain.

Jean, Annie and Armin were in a squad while Braus, Springer and Ackerman were another. Braun, Hoover and Jaeger were another and she...

"Spacing out in dreams of wealth and luxury already, Smiley?" Ymir called from behind.

Tanya's lips twitched and she repressed the furious grin that wanted to spread on her face. _No one_ called her that in the 104- not after she had shown what would happen if anyone tried to pick a fight with her, whether in hand-to-hand or in downtime. Unlike Brause, she _made sure_ that stupid nickname never stuck, first day and Shadis be damned.

"Tanya, what's our next move?" Lenz asked, catching up while leaping over a chimney.

Well, at least the blonde knew her place. "Keep lower to the ground, so the others don't see us. It'll be easier to get more kills and get the jump on them."

"But they're our comrades- we should be working together, not competing! And if we keep low, we'd be made into easier targets for the titans!"

_These aren't titans!_ Tanya thought in irritation as they leaped off the roof, stomach dropping and adrenaline burning hot in her veins.

Titans didn't stay stationary. Even with the targets the same size as most recorded sizes, that didn't mean it's be that easy to kill them. The only reason Tanya had been able to make the kill she had during the campaign had been due to sheer, fucking luck.

She got the idea of drills and the fact that all of Trost was participating as well as making some semblance of preparation in case the titans invaded was something she could get behind. But if they thought they stood a chance...

_Do they seriously think this is going to help at all, though?_ Tanya wondered as her blade slashed apart the "nape" of the "titan", sending sand and sawdust into the air.

The only thing that mattered to her was the fact that Commander Pixis of the Garrison was watching them. The best thing she could do was perform to the best of her ability: by "killing the titans" and showcasing that she could lead while listening to others' suggestions. Both were qualities that were looked for in soldiers right now.

_Less thinking, more "killing".  
_

* * *

"That was playing dirty, you cheating bastards! I saw them first!"

Tanya ignored Jean's yelling the best she could, tearing into her apple. Between their squad, they had managed four kills between them with Tanya and Ymir both making two each- still more than most squads, though Ackerman's took the lion's share of the kills. Lenz still managed to pull her weight somewhat and had helped find three of the four targets.

_What the hell was Lenz doing here?_ she wondered, finishing off the apple core._ Act or not, that kind of attitude won't help scoring- wait, what's that?_

Tanya rose and walked over to where some townspeople were gathered, Ymir and Lenz not far behind. They were looking at a poster, handrawn and showing a boar. According to the information on it, it had appeared a while ago and making hunting more difficult. There was even a decent reward for killing it.

Money, and the possibility of actual meat? Tanya's stomach growled while she read the rest of it: it was seen roaming outside of the district's forests and... holy hell, it was huge if the measurements were accurate. Tanya knew that boars were some of the most dangerous creatures, with their tusks, thick hides and strength. Still, pros were currently out-weighing the cons.

"That looks like it'll make a great meal," Ymir remarked, licking her lips. "Whaddya think, Christa? Boar by candlelight strike your fancy?"

"Don't flirt over my shoulders," Tanya groused, irritated that the two girls were still with her.

"If we catch it, then the people of Trost will be able to hunt again without fear!" Lenz pointed out.

Ymir's hand settled down hard on Tanya's shoulder, grinning. "Well, Smiley? How's about the three of us go for a hunt?"

Tanya let her teeth bare into a vicious smirk. "Call me that again and you won't get a single bite," she promised with relish.

If it meant meat and money, she could work together with anyone-

_"AS IF!"_

Tanya startled from her thoughts at the bellow and turned to the source. Braus and Springer were... posing in front of Jean, who was in a fighting stance.

_Right, I'm not getting involved in this._ Tanya automatically turned around and headed back down the way she came.

"Interesting!"

Tanya froze and turned back around to see a bald man with mustache and red sash around his chest flanked by a female and male Garrison soldier. Commander Dot Pixis of the Garrison! She quickly saluted, standing as straight as she could- this could be her chance! He walked through the recruits until coming to a stand before Jean, Springer and Braus.

"Your fighting spirit is indeed admirable, but using a training exercise to settle your differences is unacceptable." Commander Pixis then took a swig from a flask and Tanya realized from the redness of his face that the man was indeed drunk. "Settle your differences over cooking."

... Tanya was very certain that she must have heard that wrong, because that had to be the most absurd thing she had heard suggested.

_"A COOK-OFF!"_

... she didn't hear that wrong.

"I should have confiscated his flask sooner," the male Garrison soldier beside Commander Pixis muttered.

"But wait, Commander!" Jean protested. "We're soldiers! Cooking isn't in our remit-"

_"Jean!"_

His protest was quickly cut off by Braus shocking her half-eaten potato in his face. "Just how much do you even know about cooking?"

"Exactly!" Springer chimed in. "I bet you got your mom to make all your food back home!"

_That wasn't untrue._

"I'll show you just what true cooking is, Jean my boy!" Braus declared, aggressively eating the rest of the potato and smearing it all over her face.

"And if I win, you stay out of my face forever, potato-girl!" Jean yelled back, dramatically pointing at her.

Tanya could only stare in growing dumbfound shock at the events unfolding before her as Commander Pixis ordered them to cook him a main course by nightfall and the resounding yells and cheers from the other soldiers around her. What the hell was even this- this- this plot out of an anime OVA?!

_I'm not getting involved in this._

* * *

"You're actually going after that thing?!"

Eilian glared at her from where Tanya secured the saddle on Mercury's back while Lenz and Ymir waited on their horses. "Do you know how many horses that boar's crippled already?!"

"Calm your tits," Ymir drawled. "It's none of your business."

"We're going to be as careful as we can so no one gets hurt," Lenz said determinedly.

"Ah, you're such a sweetie! Let's get married once we kill that boar!"

_This is fine. You're going to be getting meat and money,_ Tanya kept repeating in her head. _You can handle working with them._

"You know what? Go knock yourselves out," Eilian said in exasperation. "See if I give a damn."

Tanya checked over her gear and swords one more time before hopping on Mercury's back. They rode through the streets and back out into the open area. It felt good to be riding Mercury again, especially in such a green area. The compound and barracks had beaten down paths and even the forests were hard to navigate thanks to the ridiculously large trees around them.

"Hey Tanya!"

Tanya froze at the two voices calling her name and turned around. Jean, Armin and Annie were coming up behind them along with Braus, Springer and Braun.

_What the hell are those six doing here?! _Tanya wondered in disbelief before she remembered._ Oh fucking hell, it's for that damn cooking duel isn't it?! They even got the others roped into this bullshit!_

"Hey Tanya, help me out!" Braus called to her. "I'll let you pick your share of the meat if you do!"

"Damn cheater, don't bring them into this!" Jean yelled angrily.

"Why don't we all work together and share the meat equally?" Lenz suggested. "Then you can both use it for the cooking duel!"

"Ahh, you're sweet and smart! Let's use the boar's meat for our wedding!" Ymir laughed.

That made a distressingly amount of sense, and despite Tanya wanting to make the kill for herself, it'd be better if they had the advantage in numbers-

"Sorry Christa, but I'm getting that boar!" Jean yelled.

"Thanks anyways!" Braus called back.

With that, the two groups split off from each other. Tanya growled in her throat- well, there went that plan. But like hell she was letting any of them steal _her_ kill!

* * *

"We're lost."

Tanya repressed a snarl at Ymir's deadpan. The forest was much denser than it first appeared and while Mercury could come through the path they took well enough (while Lenz and Ymir's were tied up at the edge), it was still tough going. It should have been simple: tag behind Braus, since she had the most experience in hunting. However, the dense foliage and terrain made it easier said than done and they lost them just as quickly.

Mercury's ear twitched and he looked up. "Does he sense something?" Lenz wondered.

"This isn't some hokey story," Tanya said with exasperation. "Horses have good senses, but they aren't THAT goo-"

_**BOOM! CRASH!**_

Their heads shot up and Tanya could see columns of dust rising and hear falling trees. Tanya shot onto Mercury's back, the horse already galloping forward while Ymir and Lenz activated their gear. She could hear more screaming and the sound of something large storming through the greenery.

The measurements weren't exaggerations- the boar was _massive,_ even larger than Mercury! And Braus was being dragged through the air by the cables of her gear while Springer and Braun shot alongside her. She could hear Jean shouting behind and the thrum of gas being released from Armin and Annie.

"Meat... MEAT!" Braus yelled as she flailed through the air as she clawed her way across the cable.

Tanya grabbed the reins but Mercury was already picking up speed and leaped over a fallen log, keeping pace with the boar just barely without being knocked aside by it or the trees and shrubbery.

"Boar meat... boar steaks... boar sausages...!" Braus hissed as she climbed aboard the boar.

_Shut up!_ Tanya thought in exasperation as her stomach growled hard at just hearing about the types of meat.

Armin leaped over her, holding a thing of- oh what, really?! Braus might be an idiot, but she wasn't going to choose a bunch of potatoes over the boar!

Tanya balanced herself carefully on Mercury's back and fired her hooks into the boar, sword ready. However, it took a sharp turn and Tanya yelped as she was yanked along with it, nearly slamming into a tree while Braus leaped off into the air. Tanya pushed the gas harder and grabbed onto the boar's side. She yanked out one of her swords, already aiming for the boar's head.

_I've got it-_

But just as her sword stuck the hide, the boar roared and shook violently before screeching to a halt. Tanya yelped as she was thrown forwards, just barely avoiding a tree before crashing into the ground, head ringing from the impact. She blindly grabbed for her swords and was about to run.

An arrow pierced the boar's head, straight through it's brain before it skidded to a stop just meters in front of her. Braus' screams of triumph rang loud above.

* * *

With the help of the Garrison soldiers, they were able to bring the boar into Trost. Braus and Springer cheered atop it while Jean angrily cursed at himself. Tanya did, albeit silently while nursing her bandaged head- she had been so close, now she had to share the meat and money.

Now she had neither and was in debt to Braus. Even worse was that the bulk of the meat would be distributed to the market to help the people here not starve. While she understood it, that didn't mean she wasn't pissed about missing out on it. Never mind how the money she missed out on was going to-

"Hey, Tanya! Come over here and get your share!" Braus yelled.

_Wait what?_

Braus just grinned as she patted the boar corpse. "You helped take it down too, and I promised you you'd get your pick of the meat!"

_... fuck it. I'm getting _something_ out this bullshit!_

Tanya took part of a thigh along with some fat, wordlessly ignoring the exclamations of surprise and annoyance as she slashed it apart with her swords. While the recruits went back to the tavern, she took the route down the street until she arrived at the Kirstein residence. A few knocks later and the door opened, revealing Luke Kirstein.

"Tanya. Good evening."

"May I come in?"

The house hadn't changed much since she last saw it. It seemed smaller, though this was more likely due to her and Jean's absence than anything else.

"My wife left a while ago to see you and Jean. She should be back soon though." Luke's eyes flickered to the package What's that you have here?"

Tanya showed him the meat and Luke's eyes went wide. He quickly showed her where the knives were along with some curing salts and spices. Tanya took one of the shorter blades, quickly skinning the meat while Luke put the fat into a jar. The fur and meat stunk a bit but Tanya tolerated it- if the end result was some delicious meat, she could handle the smell.

"Ah, Tanya!"

Gaelle was at the doorway with an empty basket. "I was wondering where you were," she said with a tired smile. "I didn't see you with Jeanie."

Tanya stood up straighter as the woman came over and looked over the chunk of meat. "Here, let me help."

"Thank you."

The two stoked the stove fire and Gaelle brought some flour, salt and pepper out to help season the meat. Tanya looked in the cupboards and found some slightly shriveled onions and carrots. Odd- even with only herself and her husband, she should be better stocked on food than this.

"I took some food for Jeanie," she said and Tanya noticed how she was trying to keep smiling, eyes flickering sadly.

_Oh for fuck's sake._ This was why teenagers had earned her eternal loathing- they never know how good they have it and lash out at others even when trying to help them.

"It's just a phase. He'll get his head out of his... backside," Tanya quickly changed the last word at Gaelle's stern look before the woman sighed gently.

"Oh I know. He's such a proud child- you both are, in your own way."

Well, she wasn't wrong... at least, if she replaced "proud" with "narcissism" and "every other complex known to man".

The smell of the meat was already making her mouth water. How long had it been since she ate real meat?

One of the things she missed the most about her old world was the food. All she had eaten in this life had been very simple: bread, stew, potatoes and the like. While Ikeda Susumu's diet wasn't what one would call "healthy" or even "fine", he still partook in some food-related luxuries. There was a small internet cafe not too far from his work place that served excellent desserts and pastries, and a restaurant near his work place that featured food from outside Japan, particularly from the West.

Whenever he got paid or granted a promotion, he would usually partake in one area or the other. Whether it was the shrimp ramen or steak at the restaurant, or the coffee and castella at the cafe, it never failed to satisfy him.

Dammit, just thinking about it made her stomach growl even louder. She wondered if the Interior had any similar foods to what Ikeda Susumu had before, or if she could create something similar once she got the money.

And like that, the floodgate opened on her other memories.

The festivals that always made his ears ache with the shouts of joy and fireworks. Soba and ramen stands spent with tolerable co-workers. Scotch burning his throat after a stressful day and the pleasant buzzing in his head. The sound of J-Pop and classical music blasting on speakers. Even some of the cornier soap dramas that he would deny watching to his last breath.

Everything that had surrounded Ikeda Susumu, everything mundane, everything normal... _gone._

He... she... _missed it._ Missed the life he had before this. Missed the things that she had taken for granted up until that day.

The ten years before that day, Tanya had managed to make a new normal. She fell into it without thought, simply going through the motions enough times until it became the same routine she made in her old life. She never allowed herself to think of such things for too long, knowing that thinking of what she could never get back would only make her miserable.

But now... she couldn't stop.

Even worse than thinking of what she used to have, was thinking of what could have been. What if Ikeda Susumu hadn't rejected the idea of "God"? Perhaps he could have convinced him not to let him die. Or maybe just let him die and fade into nothingness?

"Are you all right, dear?"

Gaelle looked at her with concern, hands resting on her own. "Just lost in thought. Thank you," she said, but let the hands lay where they were just a few seconds longer.

Her eyes flickered to the dough and inspiration struck. "Gaelle... may I use some of the dough? I want to try something."

"Of course, dear."

It was an old recipe, she had seen both of her mothers use it before, even if her mother in this life had much less success with it.

She took the water and a pinch of salt into the bowl, taking the ladle to carefully place the flour inside. Making sure her hands were clean, she kneaded the dough as harshly as she could. This continued until she could feel the dough finely on her fingers.

She sliced apart the dough into long, thin strands, rolling them carefully. She might not have a pasta maker, but she could manage. Once she finished off the dough, she settled them into the pan with boiling water and some vinegar mixed in. She moved onto the few vegetables left, chopping up the parsley and onion finely on the side while setting aside a bowl for the serving.

"What's that you're humming?" Gaelle suddenly asked. "It sounds lovely."

Had she been? Tanya didn't even notice but as she slowed down, she could hear it. When had she started? Or was it subconscious?

* * *

_There were so few books here and she's already read them all. Still, it was good practice for learning the letters and words in her new world. __Her mother hummed over by the counter, knife slicing down rhythmically against the dough. It looked strange, far too long and thin to be made into loaves or rolls._

_"Did I follow this right? Dammit..." she muttered in exasperation before shrugging. "Oh well."_

* * *

The grief didn't consume her anymore. She wouldn't let it. But unlike before, the nostalgia and comfort of the memory was all that was there.

Finally, the meat was done. She chopped a few slices off and deposited it into the broth, adding the onion and parsley before cracking an egg into the mixture. She might not have had chopsticks, but a fork would do for this.

She twisted the noodles on the fork, stabbing the meat while getting a bit of the yolk on it before closing her mouth over it.

Her eyes widened.

* * *

_Susumu looked at his bookbag, "traitor" written in sharpy-marker over it and covered in mud and muck. He repressed a sigh and simply cleaned as best he could before depositing his books and pencils into a paper bag._

_He needed to look after himself- if he kept trying to please his "friends", then he'd never get anywhere grade-wise, and in turn, career-wise. If that made him a traitor in their eyes, then that was their loss. When he was successful and powerful while they were stuck in dead-end jobs, then they'd see who was laughing _

_That did nothing to make him feel better though. _

_He returned home without fanfare went upstairs without word and closed the door behind him, numb. It sat in his stomach like a pit as he began to work on his homework. But half-way through, the numbness began to clutch at his chest, cutting his air off. Everything felt hyper focused and so far away at once. He opened the window but the cool air did nothing to soothe him. _

_He began cleaning his already spotless room. The restlessness only grew more. He paced. He felt sick._

_They meant so little to him before, why did he feel like this?_

_The knocking against his door made him freeze. He took a shuddering breath before opening his door. His parents stood behind it,__ mom holding a bowl with chopsticks and dad with a can of his favorite iced coffee._

_They said nothing, simply offering him the food. Susumu accepted it, the smell of homemade ramen already making his mouth water. His mom gently touched his face and he leaned into her hand, eyes closing while his dad ruffled his hair._

_"We'll get you a new bookbag," they promised._

* * *

_They must have seen the news._

Tanya knew this was obvious- the story of a man being pushed into the path of an oncoming train couldn't not make the news. How did they react, his mother and father, when they saw their only son crushed to death for doing his job? Would they hate the nameless, spiteful little man who pushed him because of his own failings?

She knew there wasn't any use wondering, not when she had no way to get answers. But the fact that there was no chance for Ikeda Susumu to say goodbye, to say "thank you"... left a twisting bitterness in her stomach.

And now here she was, at the start again. No power outside of her own body, little to no authority and desperately scrambling for both in a chaotic and monstrous world.

Her eyes closed. She knew there was no use dwelling on what she couldn't change, but if she didn't process it somewhat... then she'd never let go.

Tomorrow, she would return to her old routine. She would continue to train and get as far from the titans as she possibly could. There would be no rumination, no dwelling on what she couldn't change.

But for now, for tonight... she would remember.

* * *

... I needed this more than I thought. Especially after chapters 112-114.

Zeke can still eat a bag of dicks tho -_-;

(Yeets off into the crying corner)

It always bothered me that characters who are reincarnated or sent to a new world aren't shown having some kind of angst over it. They lost everything and then wound up in a completely different place with only reminders of what they had.


End file.
